by Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

by Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

RAMSTEIN AIR FORCE BASE, Germany - Some elements of the Taliban appear willing to transition from an armed resistance into a political force in Afghanistan, a hopeful sign that the United States should encourage, the top U.S. commander said Saturday.

"As they talk among themselves, their behavior appears to be migrating toward becoming a political factor in Afghanistan's future and less an internal security threat," Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.

Dempsey cautioned, however, that there are factions of the Taliban who will remain "irreconcilable" and that the debate within the militant group is ongoing.

"I wouldn't say a shift at this point," Dempsey said. "I would say an encouraging debate inside the Taliban."

Dempsey made the remarks on his way to Afghanistan where he will attend a ceremony this weekend marking a change in leadership of coalition forces there.

Marine Gen. John Allen will leave after 19 months in the job and is expected to be appointed as supreme allied commander for NATO in Europe. Allen will be replaced by Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford.

The leadership change comes as the mission for the United States and its allies shifts. Afghan forces are taking on an increasingly large share of the fight as coalition forces transition to a support role.

The United States has about 66,000 troops in Afghanistan. The numbers are expected to steadily decline until the end of 2014 when most combat forces will have left.

The United States and Afghanistan are negotiating the terms of an agreement that would allow a residual force beyond that time. The residual force would focus on counterterrorism, advising the Afghan army and other support roles.

The ongoing transition has meant Afghan forces are now taking the brunt of the casualties in the fight against the Taliban.

Dempsey told an anecdote that illustrated the shift. Allen has had memorial services every Sunday to honor troops who were killed in action the previous week.

At the last service, 25 Afghan soldiers were memorialized, but for the first time during Allen' 19 months in command no Americans were killed the previous week.

Afghan's security forces will face a major challenge this summer as a new fighting season opens at the same time they have assumed a lead role in the fight.

Commanders have said that Afghan forces are generally willing to fight, but they continue to rely on coalition support for medical evacuation and logistical support.

"What really hangs in the balance now is the confidence level of the Afghan security forces and its people in them," Dempsey said.

On the diplomatic front, some form of political reconciliation is critical to ending the conflict, U.S. officials have said.

Formal talks between the Taliban and the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai have been slow to get off the ground.

But the debate within the Taliban over whether to become a political force in the country suggests reconciliation may be on the horizon.

"There will be irreconcilable parts of the Taliban that are just so ideologically skewed that the idea of any concession is just an anathema to them," Dempsey said. "On the other hand, I think there will be portions who are willing to become part of the political landscape.

"They are talking among themselves to try and organize themselves for what I think they believe is also the next necessary step."